


the amazing space opera of mark watney

by CerinityKS



Category: The Martian (2015), The Martian - All Media Types, The Martian - Andy Weir
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Gen, M/M, NaNoWriMo, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:36:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7926169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CerinityKS/pseuds/CerinityKS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m sorry, you’re sending me in <i>where</i>?” </p><p>“You heard me Mark – you’re being sent undercover at N.A.S.A headquarters.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	the amazing space opera of mark watney

**Author's Note:**

> so um, you know that beckwantey nano fic i've been promising since like, october? 
> 
> ....surprise?
> 
> I know, I know, I'm so super late in posting this, but at least it's finally posted right? Right? 
> 
> special, special thank to the utterly amazing [swagnushammersmith](http://archiveofourown.org/users/swagnushammersmith), thank you for helping me edit and being the best beta, I can say with certainty that this would not have been posted as soon (or at all maybe) if it weren't for you ♥
> 
> Um, so, yeah, I hope you enjoy, and I promise the rest of the story is already written and just needs to be edited so updates should be (relatively, for me at least) quick. 
> 
> Enjoy!

He was bleeding.

Why was he bleeding?

Mark stared at his hands, and the blood coating them, utterly fascinated.

It was everywhere.

Mark could hear someone screaming his name, desperate, and looked up confused. He could see Chris, his crew, his friends, but no – that wasn’t right. They weren’t there. Where were they? And Chris – Chris was crying. Why was Chris crying? Chris should never cry, he should be happy, always.

“Chris,” he tried to say, tried to reach out, but the words wouldn’t come and his arm wouldn’t move, so he looked down and – oh.

That’s right, he was shot.

As if his legs had only been waiting for acknowledgement of the trauma they collapsed under him. Mark went down hard, like a puppet finally released from his strings, and his vision whited out for a moment before he blinked his eyes open. His shooter stood over him, tall and proud and so assured of his actions.

Mark kind of hoped he bled all over him and ruined that fancy looking, expensive suit.

Fucker.

Chris was still crying.

Mark tried to reach out again, tried to tell him it was okay, that he was fine with dying ( _really, he was_ ) but the words tripped on his tongue and his body still wasn’t obeying his commands.

Mark tried once more but the result was the same. Black spots danced across his vision and Mark knew this was it, his time was up – he was about to die.

He always figured he’d die in the line of duty, but not like this – never in front of Chris, in front of _them_.

‘I love you,’ he wanted to say, _hoped_ Chris knew it.

‘ _I love you._ ’

And then Mark knew no more.

-

_eight months ago_

“I’m sorry, you’re sending me in _where_?” 

Disbelief colored Mark’s words, though disbelief hardly began to cover the range of emotions Mark was feeling in that moment.

Rich stared back at him, utterly serious.

“You heard me Mark – you’re being sent undercover at N.A.S.A headquarters.”

“B-but don’t you already have Mindy there? Why do you need another person?” Mark demanded, still not quite sure he was hearing things right. Why would they want to send him, _him_ of all people, undercover?

And to _N.A.S.A_ of all places. When it came to private contracting, N.A.S.A was pretty much the top dog. They had the most influence, the most funding, the best crews, top of the line weaponry, and offered up-to-date training for all personnel. Of the thousands of people that applied to the company per year they accepted maybe 10. 

It was safe to say Mark did _not_ think he would fit in there.

“Mindy occupies a low level tech position in the company. She can’t get us as much as a member of-- say, one of their _crews_ could. Which is where _you_ come in,” Rich smiled, and Mark kinda wanted to hit him right then, superior officer or not.

“What makes you think they’d accept _me_ onto one of their crews? Do you know how hard it is to get accepted into N.A.S.A in that kind of position? And are they even _looking_ to hire right now?” Mark was grasping at straws and he knew it. If Rich, and subsequently the Congregate, wanted him in N.A.S.A, then Mark would get in.

“As a matter of fact, they _are_ hiring right now,” Rich looked smug at the prospect,“and you _are_ going to get selected. The work history and background we’ve drawn up for you will assure that.”

“Of course it will,” Mark muttered to himself as he sighed and ran a hand over his face. “And will I actually be able to do the things you’re going to say I can?” he questioned sarcastically.

“Of course Mark, your work history is built upon the skills you already possess, overselling you would just get you found out that much quicker,” Rich reassured.

“That makes me feel so much better,” Mark grumbled. 

Rich just looked amused at his subordinated complaining.

“You have an interview at their headquarters on the Ho’su’tin station in twenty four hours. Here is all the information you need about your cover,” Rich handed him a thick packet. “Your flight plan is included in there. I’d hurry and pack if I were you, your flight leaves in two hours.”

Mark grabbed the packet and cursed as he turned and sprinted from Rich’s office.

“Good luck Mark!” Rich called after him, amusement coloring his tone.

“Fuck you!” he called back, and Rich’s laughter trailed him all the way to the port.

-

_twenty four hours later_

Mark waited outside the office of Venkat Kapoor with the twenty other hopefuls waiting to hear if they managed to land a coveted spot on one of N.A.S.A’s crews. They’d been waiting nearly an hour and Mark wouldn’t admit it, but he was starting to get a bit anxious.

Naturally, just as Mark contemplated the likelihood of him successfully sneaking off to the bathroom before they called him (signs pointed to yes), the door opened and Venkat himself stepped out. He scanned the group dispassionately until his eyes landed on Mark.

“You there, Mark,” he glanced down at the clipboard he held in his hand, “Caldwell? Get in here,” he stepped back into his office and Mark stared at the empty doorway in shock.

He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d doubted the Congregate’s ability to pull this off.

Mark hastily stumbled to his feet and past the other applicants that stared after him with envy. The door to the office closed loudly behind him and Mark winced in the quiet that blanketed the office. Venkat glanced up at him and gestured to the empty chair in front of his desk.

“Sit, let’s have a chat.”

Mark sat.

Venkat flipped through his file and Mark mentally reviewed the information he’d find in it.

Mark Caldwell, 38, born in the Ashima region of the I’di’anya cluster. Grew up in a single parent household under his mother, enrolled in the Congregate academy when he was 17 after dropping out of school, graduated from the academy top of his class and immediately signed up for two consecutive assignments in the front line of the Regis conflict. He reached the respectable rank of sub-lieutenant during his time before he left the service at 28, neglecting to sign on for another four years. He discovered his talent for mechanics and engineering while working for the Congregate so he’d found work that let him expand on that. Mark had been exposed to many different cultures as a result of his time in the Congregate and as a floater, and could therefore speak two foreign languages fluently, and was conversational in three more.

Mark’s intelligence scores in the file were a little above average, nothing too special, and his weapons scores were near perfect. Overall the file wouldn’t be too impressive compared to the people that typically applied to N.A.S.A, but just impressive enough to make him competitive against the other candidates. Rich had assured that.

“Your file is impressive,” Venkat finally spoke.

“Thank you, sir.”

Venkat looked up at him and nodded before he sat back in his chair.

“So tell me Mr. Caldwell, why do you want to work at N.A.S.A?”

Mark opened his mouth then closed it, like he was re-thinking something before he grinned and shrugged.

“Honestly? An old Congregate buddy of mine told me that you were hiring and that I should apply. Figured it’d be something I’d enjoy.”

Venkat snorted and Mark grinned wryly.

“Yeah, that’s probably not the best answer, but it is the truth. I’ve always enjoyed traveling, it was my favorite part of being in the Congregate – going to different planets, systems, and stations and being able to meet new people. I was good at my job, make no mistake, but that wasn’t what made me re-enlist for a second assignment.”

Venkat nodded, appreciative and thoughtful. “I appreciate your honesty. I can say that working for N.A.S.A will afford you a chance to travel to even more planets and systems than even the Congregate would have access to, the benefit of private contracts. How comfortable are you working on a team?”

“Well,” Mark tilted his head, as if recalling something from his past, “I’ve never had any issues with it personally. I’ve been told I’m an easy person to get along with,” Mark grinned charmingly and Venkat hummed.

“Let me tell you a secret about hiring people Mr. Caldwell,” Venkat started.

“Call me Mark, please, I feel like I’m in the headmaster's office,” Mark grinned. Venkat laughed and nodded.

“Mark then. When hiring people around 80% of the time I already know who, based solely on their work history, I want to hire. The last 20% comes from talking to them, getting a feel for their personality and how well they’d work with the people they’d be assigned to interact with on a daily basis.”

Mark nodded and resisted the urge to fidget.

“You, Mark, were one of my top picks. And after talking to you all I have to say is – welcome to N.A.S.A,” Venkat grinned and Mark barely resisted the urge to gape at him unattractively.

“I, really? Just like that?” Mark stumbled over his words.

Venkat spread his hands and nodded. “Just like that. I hate to draw things out unnecessarily, and I find I’m a decent judge of character. I like you Mark, and I feel you’d fit in well. And if I turn out to be wrong, well,” Venkat smirked, “It’ll be even quicker to fire you.”

Mark swallowed and nodded. “I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Mr. Kapoor, for this opportunity.”

“Please, call me Venkat,” he smiled. “And thank you. I’ve been looking for another member for the ARES 3 for a while now, and I think you’ll fit in perfectly.”

Mark nodded and rose to shake his hand before what he said registered. Mark froze.

“I’m sorry, did you say I’m going to the _ARES 3_?”

-

When he’d received this assignment he figured he end up on one of the little nobody crews, doing small time runs and what have you until he got enough evidence to bring back to Rich (who would then bring it to his boss) and then they’d take the head of N.A.S.A, Teddy Sanders, down.

(and possibly the whole organization too, Mark was a little unclear on that part honestly)

Being put on the ARES 3 crew however…

Well, let’s just say that was a worst case scenario for Mark. 

The ARES 3 was the best, and that wasn’t a title N.A.S.A took lightly. The ARES 3 got the hardest runs, had the most missions, and got the most news coverage. They brought the approval ratings for N.A.S.A up every time they were featured. People loved them, and the private contracting sector continued to grow as more companies like N.A.S.A sprang up as a result to buy in on that infamy.

Mark was so fucked.

If there was one crew that could figure him out it would be them. Hell it wouldn’t even take the whole crew, it would probably just be the captain.

Melissa Lewis, probably the most badass captain in this or any star system, and the _last_ person you’d want to mess with. 

And Mark was about to meet her in less than five minutes and lie to her face. 

He tried to think of when he’d last updated his will and if he should try to make a quick call to his lawyer when he heard the sound of boots thumping on the ground. He turned and came face to face with Melissa Lewis.

Melissa looked him over with a quick eye and nodded.

“Mark Caldwell?”

“Yeah, I mean, y-yes, yes ma’am,” Mark stuttered. Melissa smirked and jerked her head as she turned and started to walk.

“Come on, we have a mission,” and Mark hurried to catch up, shocked.

“I, um, already? I mean, right now?”

Melissa shot him a look and seemed terribly amused. “Yes, right now. Do you have your things with you?”

“Um yeah, they’re being held behind the counter up fro-”

“We’ll stop and get them on the way, a car is waiting out front for us. You submitted your paperwork yet?”

“Um m-most of it, yeah. Venkat had me fill it out in his office and said the rest of it I’d have to do on the ship?”

Melissa nodded and signaled an employee behind the desk as they rounded the corner and the front desk came into view. Mark thank the man as he took his bags (a backpack and a duffle – he was experienced in traveling light) and followed Melissa outside to a black car.

They slid into the back and it immediately pulled away from the curb and headed towards the stations port. The Ho’su’tin station wasn’t the largest, comprised almost entirely by N.A.S.A’s headquarters, and Mark could see the port from the car.

Melissa was quiet as they drove, reading something on her lap, and Mark realized with a jolt that it was his file.

‘Of course she’d have it,’ Mark thought, bordering on hysterical. He was paranoid that she’d be able to take one look at it and see right through the deception.

He wouldn’t put it past her.

Mark tried not to fidget or give anything away as the car pulled up to the port. Up ahead Mark could see the ARES 3 dock.

It was surreal.

“Come on,” Melissa climbed out and started towards the dock immediately. Mark scrambled to grab his bags and hurry up, and was only a bit out of breath when he caught up right outside. Melissa looked at him briefly before she slid her pass-card over the scanner.

AUTHORIZED – LEWIS, CAPTAIN MELISSA – WELCOME BACK CAPTAIN

“Thank you Hermes,” Melissa stepped onto the bridge and gestured Mark forward.

“We’ll get you your own pass-card and authorization after this mission is completed. Until that happens, you must have a crew member with you if you want to leave and re-enter the ship, or else you won’t be able to get on,” Melissa explained as they walked towards the airlock. “Some sections of the ship are accessible by pass-card only as well, so if you need access to one, you will need another crew member with you, though I don’t see that being an issue as this time,” Melissa shot him a look.

Mark nodded as they stepped into the airlock, the door shutting behind them. There was a slight hissing sound before the light over the door turned green. Melissa pressed a button and the ship's door slid open.

Mark glanced around as he stepped onto the ARES 3 for the first time, curious. There wasn’t really much to see but the hallways extending on either side of the airlock and Mark wondered why he expected anything else.

“Yo captain! This the new guy?”

Mark whirled around to see someone walking up from their left, a smirk on his face. Mark immediately recognized him as Rick Martinez, pilot of the ARES 3.

Melissa nodded and gestured towards Mark. “Rick, this is Mark Caldwell. Mark, this is Rick Martinez, our pilot.

“Good to meet ya man,” Mark grinned.

Rick nodded as they shook hands and swept a critical eye over him in a more obvious manner than Melissa had earlier.

“Eh, you’ll do, I guess,” Rick smirked.

“Oh, well if you guess then I can sleep easy, thank you Rick, I don’t know what I would have possibly done without your approval,” Mark deadpanned. 

Rick stared at him for a moment, surprised, before he laughed.

“I like him captain, let’s keep this one!”

Melissa just smiled and walked off. “Introduce him to everyone, will you? I have paperwork to do before we leave,” she called over her shoulder.

“Got it, we’re cleared for departure in 30 minutes,” Rick called back.

Melissa waved a hand in the air before she disappeared beyond a corner up ahead. Rick turned back to Mark with a wide grin on his face as he clapped a hand on Mark’s shoulder.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the crew.”

Rick guided him through the hall and Mark tried to keep track of the doors they passed and the location of the rec room in relation to them. He was relatively confident he had it memorized when the door swished open and three strangers stared at him from various points in the room.

“Hey, this is the new guy!” Rick greeted as he pushed Mark into the room forcefully. Mark stumbled and then slid his leg out just enough to trip Rick as he moved to step past him.

Rick stumbled but caught himself before he fell as the other three laughed.

“Looks like he’s not as much of a pushover as the last one, huh?” the only girl grinned and taunted as Rick replied with a hand gesture that was far from friendly.

She blew him a kiss in response as the man that sat to her left stood up and walked over, hand held out.

“I am Alex Vogel, pleasure to meet you,” the man smiled.

“Mark Caldwell, same,” Mark nodded as he grasped the man’s hand.

“The female nerd is Beth Johanssen, our systems operator and engine tech,” Rick gestured, smoothly inserting himself between them. “And the nerd on the couch is-”

“Chris Beck,” the man interrupted as he flashed a grin in Mark’s direction. Mark felt his heart skip a beat, and he knew if his life was animated there would probably be hearts in his eyes and a soft glow surrounding the man before him.

The guy was _gorgeous_. It was so unfair.

“I’m the doctor on board, any medical issues you have, talk to me.”

Mark nodded and looked around the rec room with interest. Compared to the industrial feel of the rest of the ship the rec room was cozy, with comfortable couches and pillows, what looked like a state of the art entertainment system mounted on the wall, some rugs covering the floor and decoration on the walls. Mark recognized landscape portraits of a few different planets he’d been on and a few he’d only seen in pictures.

There was even what looked like a fully stocked and easily usable kitchen off to the side with a dining table and some chairs gathered near it.

Chris, Beth, and Alex had been spread out on the couches when they’d walked in, clearly in the middle of a game of cards, and from the looks of it Beth was winning. They all seemed very comfortable together and Mark hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult to insert him into their dynamic.

Despite how open they seemed though he could see a nearly invisible barrier that existed between them and him, one he’d have to work at to cross. He needed to earn their trust, and Mark didn’t really have a clue how to go about doing that.

So instead he beamed at them and tried to project an aura of nervous excitement – something that wasn’t terribly difficult to accomplish.

“Looking forward to working with you guys.”

-

After introductions Rick showed Mark to his quarters and told him to get comfortable.

“We’ll have a meeting about half an hour after we get on our way to go over the details of the mission, but until then just relax, okay man? And welcome to the crew!” and then with that Rick had left, probably to finish pre-flight checks.

Mark looked around the room he had been offered.

It was bigger than he’d expected, not cramped like his quarters on the Congregate ships had been. There was a decent sized bed pushed against the far wall, some storage space across from it, and a desk and chair against the wall next to the door. There was another door at the end of the bed that Mark assumed led to a washroom – something Mark was excited to not have to share.

He dropped his backpack on top of the desk and threw his duffle in front of the storage units. It only took a few minutes to distribute his clothing and personal items into it before he threw the bag into an empty bottom unit. He unpacked his backpack next and put the few books he had on the shelf set into the wall above the bed, as well as his only picture – a picture of two little kids standing in front of a house, arms thrown around each other and wide, chocolate smeared grins on their faces.

Mark stared at it before he put it near the head of the bed and grabbed his tablet out of the bag and put it on the desk. He threw the backpack into the same unit as his duffle just as he felt the ship jump into hyper drive.

Mark threw himself down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

He was really here, undercover in N.A.S.A and on the ARES 3 ship. There was no going back now.

Mark must have drifted off as he woke an indeterminate amount of time later to someone banging on his door.

“Mark? Mark are you up?”

Mark groaned and rolled off the bed as he called out, “Yeah, ‘m up, hold on!”

He stumbled to the door and it swished open to reveal Chris on the other side. Chris looked him up and down curiously before he smirked.

“You fall asleep?”

Mark yawned and nodded. “Yeah, was tired I guess, didn’t realize it. Time for the meeting already?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d stop by and show you how to get there in case you didn’t remember. Do you?”

Mark thought about it for a moment before he shook his head a bit sheepishly. “Nah, I tried to remember but I guess I wasn’t paying as much attention as I thought.”

Chris waved it off and grinned. “That’s why I’m here. Come on.”

Mark stepped out and let the door close behind him as he followed Chris down the hall.

“So, since I’m the doctor I’m going to need to run a few tests,” Chris started.

“Oh?” Mark grinned over at him. “Does this mean you get to see me naked? Doctor, I should tell you right now, I’m not that kind of-!” he started to laugh as Chris shoved him playfully in the arm.

“You say that now, but I’m told I’m persuasive,” Chris leered back and Mark repressed a flush.

“My, my, Doctor Beck, how forward. I feel it’s only fair that if you get to see mine I should get to see yours,” he shot back.

“Maybe if you manage to last past this mission,” Chris winked before the door to the rec room swished open.

Mark stared after Chris as the other man walked away and flopped down on the couch next to Beth. The two of them shared a grin and Mark finally looked away as he made his way over to the other couch to sit next to Rick.

The pilot grinned at him as Mark flopped down next to him and Mark smiled weakly back, still nervous.

“Good, you’re all here,” Melissa spoke as she stepped into the room, Alex beside her. Beth and Chris sat up straight and Mark followed suit. Rick stayed in his sprawled position.

Melissa moved to the single plush chair and sat in it as Alex moved to sit on the other side of Beth. She threw down five folders on the table and everyone grabbed one, Mark just a bit slower than everyone else.

“We’re headed to Drara,” Melissa began.

“The mining planet?” Mark asked in surprise.

Melissa nodded at him. “You’ve been?”

“Yeah, when I was with the Congregate we stopped there on the way to Iustea to re-fuel and stock up on supplies all the time. The planet itself is nearly barren, the only people that live there are the miners and even they don’t live on the planet’s surface full time ‘cuz of the chemicals and toxins the mining releases into the air. Most of them stay on a colony ship orbiting the planet and shuttle back and forth,” Mark explained.

Melissa looked vaguely impressed and Rick whistled. “What could we be picking up from there Cap?”

“A shipment of segedstone,” and Mark was sure his eyebrows had flown from his face at the level of incredulity he must be expression right now. He wasn’t the only one.

“Segedstone?” Beth asked, incredulous. “That’s one of the rarest minerals in the galaxy, only found on two planets, neither of them Drara. How’d they find it?”

Mark wondered the same thing. The last time he’d been on the planet it was costing the miners more to mine than they were getting back in return for the product they produced. Most of them had already left, consensus being that the planet had been bled dry of resources. There had been no hint of segedstone on the planet, and if there had been the miners would not be leaving. They’d all be very, very rich men and women.

“Apparently an interested third party hired an independent surveying company to come in and take one last look at the planet before it was officially decommissioned and scrapped, and they were able to get deeper than the miners and found some hidden veins of the stuff. One of N.A.S.A’s clients has paid us handsomely to pick up their shipment for them,” Melissa explained.

Mark was looking through the file now and reading the specs for the building, the personnel on site, and the size of the container they were to pick up.

“Wait, hold on, is this right?” Mark asked as he looked at the number and then back at Melissa. “They’re buying 60 kilograms of segedstone? 60? That’s worth nearly 30,000 creds. What could they need that much segedstone for?”

Everyone else looked similarly shocked. Melissa just shrugged.

“It’s not my job, or yours, to ask questions. We have our assignment. We’ll stop in Drara’s outer orbit and Beth, Alex, Mark and myself will go down to pick up the shipment. It should take up to twenty minutes to land, another fifteen to load the shipment, and then another twenty to get back to the ARES 3. Any questions?”

They all shook their heads and Melissa grinned as she stood. “Good. It’ll take us another day to get to Drara, so rest up and study your folders. And Chris,” Chris looked up as Melissa nodded to Mark, “come see me as soon as those tests are done, alright?”

Mark looked between them as Chris nodded.

And _that’s_ how it felt to have someone talk about you to someone else while right in front of you and attempt to not be obvious about it.

Chris looked over at him as Melissa left, a wry grin on his face. He knew exactly what Mark was thinking.

“Ready to get those tests over with?”

“If I must,” Mark sighed playfully as he grinned.

Chris laughed as he got up to leave, though not before he pressed a kiss to Beth’s cheek in goodbye. Mark watched and repressed the urge to sigh. Clearly any flirting he’d thought Chris was doing was only friendly.

Mark followed Chris out and bumped their shoulders together.

“So how long have you and Beth-?” he trailed off, not really sure how the duo defined their relationship.

Chris looked amused as he glanced over at him. “Beth and I? We’re just friends.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Chris confirmed as he bumped Mark’s shoulder right back.

“Oh, well, that’s a relief,” Mark pretended to wipe sweat away from his forehead.

“Oh? And why is that?” Chris looked, if at all possible, even _more_ amused.

“I don’t do well with jealous significant others.”

“And what would she have to be jealous of?” Chris laughed as they arrived at his lab.

“Guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Mark winked boldly before he walked into the pristine and apparently super modern lab and whistled.

“Impressive doc, especially for a ship lab. Looks like you could perform surgery in here,” Mark traced a finger over a startlingly white table.

“I could. And thank you, N.A.S.A is very generous with its resources,” Chris gestured to an exam chair off to the side. “If you’d be so kind Mark.”

“So, does the nudity start now or later?” Mark hopped up onto the chair and smirked at the other man as he pulled on a pair of gloves.

“Didn’t I tell you? That’s the finale, we can’t get to the fun stuff first thing can we? The foreplay is the best part,” Chris smirked before he grabbed a pressure syringe and walked over. “Arm out, please,” he instructed.

“You know, I’m pretty sure they drew blood already for the standard medical exams required upon application back at N.A.S.A,” Mark commented as Chris pressed the syringe against the crook of his arm.

“Well they’re not me, and these test results are for me specifically so I can have my own copy on the ship,” Chris drew the syringe away and deposited it off to the side before he slapped a bit of skin-grow over the faint marks left behind.

“Plus,” Chris grabbed a pressure cuff and locked it around Mark’s wrist, “I’ll be conducting a few more tests that they wouldn’t have.”

“For your own personal collection?” Mark leered.

“Not quite,” Chris laughed.

“So why did you become a doctor?” Mark asked as Chris wrote down a few things based on the cuff readout.

“Why did you become a soldier?” Chris shot back, a little sharp.

“Touchy subject is it?” Mark winced.

Chris was silent for a long moment before he sighed and glanced back at Mark with a sheepish expression on his face. “Yeah, a bit. Sorry about that,” he muttered.

“No, not your fault, none of my business, I’m sorry,” Mark replied.

They were silent through the next few tests with the exception of Chris directing Mark to do this or that, until they finally got to the part Mark had been excited about.

After all, he knew he was conventionally attractive to most people, and he was in good shape, why _wouldn’t_ he want to be nearly naked in front of an attractive guy that he may or may not attempt to seduce at some point in the future?

(this was of course completely ignoring the fact that he was in the middle of an assignment and Chris may or may not be involved in Teddy’s schemes; he liked to be hopeful that Chris wasn’t and therefore anything he may or may not do in regards to said doctor _wouldn’t_ compromise the mission)

“Can you take off your shirt?”

“Why doc, I thought you’d _never_ ask,” Mark drawled as he tugged his shirt off. It got caught on his chin as he did and he grunted, confused, before he tugged harder and finally drew it off with a gasp.

“Smooth,” Chris smirked as Mark ran a hand through his messy hair.

“Only my smoothest moves for you doc,” Mark laughed, only a bit embarrassed, which he got over quickly. He’d been embarrassing himself his whole life after all, and it wasn’t likely to stop now just because he was in front of an attractive guy he _really_ wouldn’t mind knowing better. It anything it was likely to get _worse_. 

“I’m all a flutter in anticipation,” Chris deadpanned.

“I knew it!” Mark grinned.

He turned to throw his shirt onto an empty space on a nearby table and turned around just in time to see Chris drag his eyes away from his chest. Mark’s grin widened as he realized Chris had been _staring_.

‘Score!’ he cheered internally.

“So how do you want me Doctor Beck?” he smirked, and Chris jerked back, eyes wide, before he coughed and pointed over towards a free-standing machine in the corner. Mark practically swaggered over as a result of the confidence he felt at that moment.

Chris Beck was totally thinking sexy thoughts about him. He, Mark Watney, had (briefly) turned Doctor Chris Beck on.

Chris came over a moment later and attached a few things to Mark’s chest, and if his hands lingered a bit longer than they should have Mark just grinned and didn’t point it out.

“Okay, just – stand right there and don’t move,” Chris moved a screen in front of Mark and walked over to a small walled off section of the lab.

“You even have a full x-ray machine in here? Man, N.A.S.A doesn’t fuck around,” Mark muttered.

“No they don’t,” Chris clicked a few things on the screen before he looked over and smirked.

“Now drop your pants and get naked Caldwell, I need some full body shots.”

“You wanna come over and help me doc?” Mark leered as he took his shoes and socks off so he could tug his pants and underwear down.

When Mark looked up he was surprised to see Chris coming over.

“I was just joking doc.”

“Oh I know, but I need to adjust a few things before I can take the body shots,” and Chris didn’t bother to hide his examination of Mark’s body this time. Mark stood proud, unashamed of his body, and when Chris raised his eyes to Mark’s again he just smirked at him.

Chris’s cheeks were faintly painted red as he knelt to attach a few things to Mark’s legs, which put him eye level with Mark’s dick.

“Enjoying the view?” Mark smirked.

“Oh I’ve seen better,” Chris shot back, and Mark just laughed.

Chris pressed something on the screen next to Mark when he stood before he walked back over to the walled off section.

“Should I be worried about like, radiation or something?” Mark asked after a moment.

“Nah, you’re good. This place doubles as my office so it’s just easier to keep it walled off from the rest of the lab,” Chris examined something on his PPC and frowned.

“Something wrong, doc?”

“No,” Chris started slowly before he looked up at Mark, eyes narrowed and slightly suspicious, “but this says you have two different trackers placed in your body – one in your upper chest and another in your thigh. Know anything about them?”

Mark had been prepared for this.

“Congregate trackers,” he explained. “My unit was, well, we did specialized mission that sometimes required us to be out of contact with HQ for weeks at a time. The trackers were their only way to know our relative health and position. They should have been deactivated when I left the service though, unless you’re reading differently?”

Which Chris shouldn’t be, as they were deactivated specifically for this mission. Unlike someone who really had left the service, this deactivation wasn’t permanent. If necessary they could be reactivated remotely, which shouldn’t happen unless Mark transmitted a _very_ specific distress signal to Mindy at N.A.S.A HQ.

Chris stared at him for a long moment, silent, before he nodded and smiled at him. “Makes sense, and would explain why you have two instead of the usual one.”

Mark shrugged. “I would have mentioned them if I had realized it was important, sorry. I can get them removed after this mission if it makes you feel better?”

“No, no, that might be dangerous,” Chris dismissed. “It looks like they were inserted next to arteries, and I wouldn’t want to risk it. As long as they’re not affecting you in a negative way it should be fine. Though maybe,” Chris trailed off, expression thoughtful.

“What? And can I get dressed now?”

“Huh?” Chris blinked at him before he grinned. “Yeah, sure, if you want to. And I was just thinking that these might come in handy if Beth can reactivate them. You know, for our use. We’re all chipped as well, and it would be simpler to try to reactivate these for our use than me putting _another_ tracker in you,” Chris grinned wryly.

Well, Mark certainly hadn’t expected _that_.

“Well,” he drawled, mind racing, “I don’t think it should be a problem, if Beth thinks she can do it. I’ve heard the Congregate method of deactivation is rather final though.”

“If anyone can, it’s Beth,” Chris replied confidently.

Mark just nodded and finally pulled his clothes back on.

“So we’re good?”

“Yeah, you’re done. I just need to input a few more things before-”

“You go talk about me with Captain Lewis?” Mark grinned knowingly.

Chris just shrugged and didn’t bother to deny it. “There are some things I can’t, and _won’t_ , tell her – patient-doctor confidentiality trumps chain of command. But there are a few things she’d need to know – with your permission of course?”

“Yeah, sure, go for it,” Mark waved off.

“Then you’re free to go and relax until the mission tomorrow. The crew usually has dinner together at 18:00 every night if you want to join in, but you’re free to stay in your room tonight as well and take some time for yourself,” Chris smiled reassuringly.

“I’ll see how I feel, but it’s been a long day so I might just end up falling asleep.”

“Well have a good night then, and hopefully we’ll see you later.”

Mark shot Chris one last winning look before he left. Mark looked right, then left as the door swished shut behind him and tried to remember how he got here from the rec room before he impulsively decided to go to the left.

Even if it was the wrong direction Mark figured he could explore a little bit, get to know the ship better, and then hopefully he wouldn’t get lost in the future.

Of course Mark discovered that left was definitely _not_ the right direction, but he _did_ end up finding Beth, who came out of what looked like an office space.

“Mark!” Beth smiled at him. “Done with your tests?”

“Yup, turns out I’m gonna live,” Mark grinned.

“Well that’s definitely good news!” Beth laughed as she moved to join him. “Heading back to your room?”

“Getting lost,” Mark corrected cheerfully. Beth laughed again and linked their arms together as they walked.

“Want a tour then?”

“Well, if you insist,” Mark smirked.

“Well then!” Beth began brightly, “As you can see, this is a hallway!”

Mark laughed with Beth that time.

Of the five ARES 3 crew members, Beth was the most open and likely to trust him quickest. She was the heart of the crew from what Mark had witnessed already, and Mark knew the way to gain their trust was through her.

“Okay so you’ve already been to the rec room, the lab, your room, and back there was my office,” Beth pointed back the way they came.

“The best way to figure out where you are is to find out what rooms are closest to you. Up ahead is Alex’s lab and you’ll have your own lab slash office a little past Alex’s,” Beth pointed further down the hall.

“Personal space rooms are on the hallway to the left of the rec room, and the living quarters are to the right. The rec room is kind of like the center of the ship. We also have a gym on board and a star-gazing deck,” Beth grinned at him, and Mark was helpless to do anything but smile back.

“It’s really not so bad once you get used to it, and I promise you’ll be able to find your way around in no time,” Beth reassured.

They stopped next to Mark’s personal room, which was barren for the time being, though Beth pointed out that he would be able to fill it in no time. She then guided him around to the other rooms, including everyone’s bedrooms, so he’d be able to find them if needed.

Beth took him around the ship twice to ensure he got a feel for the space, chattering away the whole time. Mark wasn’t surprised to find that he genuinely liked Beth – it was hard not to.

“You know, on the surface, you come off as just another pretty face, but underneath it all,” Mark gestured to her whole body while Beth watched him, amused and curious, “you’re really just a giant nerd, aren’t you Beth Johanssen?” he finished.

Beth gaped at him, speechless, before her lips twitched and she smacked him in the arm.

“And you’re kind of an asshole underneath all that muscle tone, aren’t you Mark Caldwell?”

“Only my best behavior for you,” Mark shot back. The two of them dissolved into laughter a moment later before they stopped in front of Mark’s room.

“I hope I’ll see you at dinner?” Beth asked.

“Maybe,” Mark grinned, before he remembered what Chris said about his trackers. After the time they’d just spent together it wouldn’t hurt to offer up the information pre-emptively.

“Actually, one last thing? I have some dead trackers in me from my time in the Congregate, and Chris said you might be able to get them up and running and connect them to your system instead of putting a brand new tracker in me?”

Beth furrowed her brow.

“Congregate trackers, huh? I’ll have to take a look at them, but I don’t _think_ it should be an issue. No promises though. First we’ll have to see how you do on the mission before I take a look though, huh?” Beth grinned, but Mark noticed the subtle reminder that while he might be officially part of the crew, unless _they_ decided they wanted him, this wouldn’t be a permanent assignment. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Mark nodded as he pressed lightly against his door. It swished open a moment later and Mark threw Beth a playful salute as he stepped back into it, the door closing between them a moment later.

Mark dropped the grin a moment later and groaned as he flopped down at his desk chair.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts before he turned his tablet on and accessed the hidden program Rich had installed on it. It allowed him to write and send reports directly to Rich on a hidden network that would keep them private. Mark carefully transcribed the day’s events – from getting the job, his physical at N.A.S.A, to meeting Melissa and the crew, and what their first mission would be. After this first report Rich told him to send them in weekly, and if he missed a report they’d wait an additional three days before they resorted to turning on his trackers and extracting him immediately. 

Mark hit send nearly an hour later and realized he was completely exhausted. He really would have liked to eat dinner with the crew, but right now he just wanted to _sleep_. It had been a long day and at this point he’d been up for over thirty hours.

So Mark quickly brushed his teeth and then stripped until he was wearing only his underwear before he collapsed on his bed. He barely had time to wiggle under the blankets and put his head properly on the pillow before the sweet bliss of dreamland pulled him under.

-

Mark woke later, disoriented for a moment at waking up in a strange bed before he remembered the mission he’d been given. He sighed and blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he looked groggily around the room. The lighting was dim, though not completely dark, but it was enough for him to see the time displayed on the opposite wall clearly.

’06:34’ it read.

He’d slept for over ten hours. Mark groaned and sat up, reluctant to start the day, though knowing he had no choice. He got ready quickly and threw on the first outfit he could find – a comfortable grey sweater that had been well-loved, some fitted jeans, and a pair of boots.

It wasn’t until he was nearly out the door though that he saw the covered plate and note left on the desk next to his tablet.

Mark picked it up, curious.

‘ _was sad you didn’t join us for dinner, but clearly you needed your sleep. saved some of it for you if you get hungry in the middle of the night._

_see you in the morning?_

_doc_ ’

Mark couldn’t stop the wide grin that formed after reading the note. He put it down carefully and pulled the cover off to see some soup in an insulated bowl to keep it warm and some slices of bread.

“Thanks Chris,” he whispered. He carefully put the small meal in the insulated bin next to his desk for just this purpose and figured it would make an excellent after-mission snack.

Mark slid the note under his tablet before he left the room, this time remembering where to go thanks to his tour with Beth yesterday. It took him less than a minute to find the rec room and discover he wasn’t the only one up this early.

“Good morning Mark,” Alex greeted from his spot at the table.

“Morning Alex,” Mark yawned as he made his way over.

“We are the first ones up, aside from the captain,” Alex commented as Mark grunted and bee-lined for the coffee pot and poured himself a generous cup.

“Ah,” he sighed appreciatively after taking a sip. He relaxed back against the counter and took another sip.

“I see you run on caffeine too,” Alex observed with a wry grin. “Beth and the captain are much the same as you. With one more on board we will need to buy extra to make sure it lasts.”

“I’m okay with that,” Mark grinned as he set his cup in front of the empty chair next to Alex before he proceeded to get some breakfast for himself now that he was caffeinated.

“Do you know how far from Drara we are?” he asked as he made himself some oatmeal, something he hadn’t been expecting them to have but was delighted to find nonetheless.

“We should be arriving in Drara airspace at approximately 08:00 hours,” Alex reported.

“So not far,” Mark deduced.

“Not at all,” Alex agreed.

“Cool. Anything else I need to know before the mission starts that wasn’t covered last night?”

Alex took a sip of what Mark figured was tea by the smell and relaxed into his chair as he answered, “The captain generally gathers us here before we depart for a mission to go over any last minute details. We then proceed to the Phobos, if needed, and head on planet.”

Mark hummed and stirred his finished oatmeal before he took a bite. He sat down next to Alex and the two of them ate in a comfortable silence that was finally broken by Beth stumbling into the room and going straight for the coffee pot. Mark grinned as Beth practically inhaled a first cup before she finally gained coherency with her second.

She blinked at the table and looked between the two of them as she slowly woke up before her eyes settled on Mark.

“Don’t tell me you’re a morning person too,” she complained as Alex smiled beatifically at her.

“Nah, I just slept too much last night,” Mark laughed.

“Oh thank god,” Beth swore as she collapsed in the seat next to Mark and stole some of his oatmeal.

“You can get your own you know,” he spoke up, amused.

“But it always tastes better when you take if from another person,” Beth shot back.

“But imagine this – a bowl all to yourself, that you don’t have to share,” Mark pointed out. Beth paused and considered that fact for a moment before she nodded and sniffed in approval.

“Acceptable,” she replied and flounced from her chair to make her own. Mark just shook his head and went back to his own breakfast, but not before he shared a grin with Alex.

Beth had just gotten comfortable at the table again (with her own breakfast this time) when Chris and Rick walked in. The two of them were in the middle of a conversation, grins on their faces, when they looked up and spotted everyone. 

“Holy shit, Beth beat us here,” Rick laughed. 

“Fuck yourself Martinez,” Beth grinned as she drank some coffee.

Chris laughed and flopped down in the chair across from Mark. The two of them shared a quick grin as Rick walked over to the kitchen to get himself something to drink.

“Good sleep?” Chris asked.

“Decent enough,” Mark shrugged. “Thank you,” he added, not specifying what for, exactly, but Chris knew without him saying it.

“Anytime,” he offered in return.

Chris and Alex then started a low conversation about something technical that, honestly, Mark didn’t care enough about to listen to. Rick was too busy eating to talk and Beth had moved to lean against Mark as she finished up her own oatmeal.

So Mark relaxed the tension that had started to build in his muscles and leaned his head on top of Beth’s as he tried not to worry about the mission. Well, not worry so much. He knew he’d be fine, it was just the fact that it was his first mission with the crew.

Melissa entered the room a minute later and looked ready to go. She had a thermos of what must have been coffee in her right hand and mission folders in her left.

“Vogel, Caldwell, Johannsen, we’re leaving in fifteen,” she started with no preamble. “Beth, show Mark to the armory and get him armed before we leave will you?”

Beth nodded and Mark looked between them curiously. “Armory? I thought this was a simple retrieval mission. Is there reason to worry?”

“Nah,” Beth grinned as she stood, “but we always arm ourselves just in case. You never know when it might come in handy ya know?”

Mark nodded, seeing the logic in that as he stood up to follow her. Chris caught his eyes as he stood and shot him a reassuring grin.

‘You’ll do fine,’ he mouthed, and Mark smiled back gratefully.

The armory wasn’t one of the rooms Beth had shown him the day before as it was located on the bay level with the Phobos, the ship's shuttle. It was a matter of moments to get there from the lift, and when they stepped out into the cargo bay Mark took a good look around.

To the back of the bay there were crates strapped down, extra supplies and miscellaneous things, Mark figured. Against the wall though was a of locked weapons locker that Mark assumed was the armory. And right in the middle, taking up the most space, was what looked like a six-passenger plus shuttle, a bit bigger than Mark had been expecting.

“So what’s your weapon of choice?” Beth asked as she unlocked the armory and threw the door open. Mark whistled as he walked over to take a look at the wide array of weapons. Then Mark spotted it, something he hadn’t been expecting to see, and his eyes went wide.

“You have a Gatling rifle?” Mark grabbed it immediately and handled it almost reverently.

“That your weapon of choice then?” Beth looked amused.

Mark nodded and immediately checked the mag, chamber, and safety before he slung it across his back.

“It was the weapon I used in the Congregate,” he explained as he grabbed a few concealable blades and a basic pistol, as well as extra ammunition for both the pistol and rifle. 

“I was a decent shot with any gun, could hit a mark if you put me in front of it, but then my CO decided to hand me one of these, a prototype at the time,” he gestured to the rifle, “and I fell in love. Like I said, I’m good with other guns and rifles. With a Gatling? I’m _amazing_ ,” Mark grinned. 

“Good to know,” Beth smiled slowly as she grabbed two pistols herself before she grabbed the same set of concealable blades Mark had. Mark grinned at her as she hid them on her person and Beth winked.

“You guys good?” Melissa asked as she stepped off the lift with Alex by her side.

“We’re good!” Beth chirped as she headed over to the Phobos. Melissa just cocked a brow at the rifle slung over Mark’s back but said nothing as she grabbed her own weapons.

Alex was the only one who didn’t grab anything and when Mark blinked at him in confusion Alex simply grinned. He didn’t offer an explanation though, and Melissa and Beth didn’t seem surprised by it.

Mark decided right then that if he had to fight them at some point in the future, Alex would need to be taken out first.

“So who’s gonna pilot this thing if Rick is staying on board?” Mark questioned as they climbed aboard the shuttle.

His question was answered a moment later when Beth climbed into the pilot’s seat. Mark blinked in surprise before he shrugged and grabbed the seat behind her.

“Phobos is ready for flight,” Beth spoke as she activated her communicator. She grinned a moment later. “Yeah, yeah, just open the doors Rick.”

Melissa passed Mark a small box as the bay doors slowly opened and Beth guided them out into space.

“Your communicator,” she explained, and gestured to her own ear, “we wear them at all times during missions, no matter how routine. Beth whipped them up for us, so most scramblers and jammers shouldn’t interfere with the signals.”

“Thanks,” Mark carefully picked it up and placed it in his rear, hearing a click as it settled into place before it beeped to life. 

“Mark is connected,” Melissa announced.

“Good to hear!” Rick laughed.

They cleared the ARES 3 a moment later and Beth smoothly turned the shuttle and set a course for Drara as Mark got his first good look at the planet in nearly five years.

“Holy shit,” he muttered, surprised, and forgot for a moment that everyone could hear him.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Chris asked immediately. Mark snorted.

“No, nothing, sorry, I just – I was surprised. Drara’s changed… pretty drastically, for just five years. I wasn’t expecting it,” he explained.

“Oh yeah?” Melissa glanced over.

“Yeah,” Mark pointed at the planet, which was covered in a layer of dust which was visibly thicker in some areas. “Last time I was here, that dust layer? That had only _just_ started to form, you could still see the surface of the planet. If the dust is this bad in just five years I can’t image what the surface looks like now,” he wondered. 

Everyone was silent as Beth brought them closer, no one else offering up anything else. In fact it was silent up until they cleared the dust layer surrounding the planet and the surface was finally visible.

“ETA, four minutes,” Melissa spoke up.

“Copy,” Rick responded. “What’s it look like down there?”

“Dead,” Beth replied.

Which wasn’t inaccurate – the planet surface looked dead and dry, colorless, no plant life anywhere. The ground itself had fissures running through the surface, some considerably larger than others, with barely any area untouched.

“Dead is an understatement in this, I think,” Alex added as he looked at the ground in fascination.

Mark had expected to see abandoned buildings and mining equipment left behind by the miners but saw nothing, only the large, industrial building that was their destination up ahead.

“Mr. Choffard should meet us in the loading bay,” Melissa reiterated as they got closer and Beth radioed for clearance to land. “The segedstone should be there as well. Alex, Mark, you two will catalog it and make sure everything is in order before we load it in. We should be in and out in ten minutes, fifteen max.”

They all nodded as Beth was finally given clearance to land. She guided them down through the loading bay doors and into the first available docking port. 

“Clear,” she said a moment later as the shuttle seemed to hiss.

“Beth, stay on the ship and keep the engines running until it’s time to load,” Melissa ordered as they all unstrapped themselves and stood.

“You got it captain,” Beth saluted as she relaxed back into her seat.

Mark and Alex followed Melissa out into the loading bay where they were greeted by a tall, thin faced man.

“Welcome, welcome, you are the representatives from N.A.S.A, yes?” he beamed.

“We are. Mr. Choffard?” Melissa greeted.

“Just so,” the man offered a hand. Melissa shook it and glanced around.

“The shipment?”

“My men are bringing it up as we speak,” the man smiled, and there was something about it that unnerved Mark.

He tensed minutely, instincts screaming at him. Something wasn’t right here. Alex glanced at him as he sensed Mark’s tension before he sidled a bit closer.

“Mark?” he breathed, quietly so that Mr. Choffard couldn’t hear.

“Something isn’t right,” he breathed back as he flicked his eyes around to try to figure out what was setting him off.

The only indication that Melissa gave that she heard him was the minute angling of her head as she continued to chat with Mr. Choffard.

“Something,” he continued, jaw clenched. Alex started to look around as well, trusting in Mark’s instincts.

“Can you see anything Beth?” Mark breathed as he turned his head slightly to disguise his words.

“Nothing that stands out,” Beth sounded on edge, and Mark was silently grateful that they were taking him seriously and not just brushing it off as nerves.

It was only when Mark began to study Mr. Choffard that he saw it – the minutes traces of blood on the wrist unit he wore, the way his clothes were a bit _too_ loose (something someone in his position wouldn’t allow, not when he had the money for tailoring), and how worn his shoes looked, out of place on a businessman.

There was no one else in the loading bay with them, not even workers. Vehicles and crates were scattered off to the side. The lookout above the loading bay floor was also deserted, a place that should have at least two technicians in it at all times.

“This is an ambush,” he breathed, and Alex tensed up as the lift against the far wall dinged, signaling its arrival.

“Down!” Mark yelled and grabbed onto Alex as he dove for cover seconds before the lift doors opened and people poured out, already shooting in their direction.

On the ARES 3 Rick and Chris swore violently as their team was attacked and all they could do was sit and listen, helpless.

Mr. Choffard had dived to the side as his crew arrived and had pulled out a gun to open fire on them as well.

Mark ran for the closest abandoned vehicle as he returned fire and slid behind it, Alex and Melissa joining him a moment later.

“Beth, how many of them are there?” Melissa shouted to be heard over the gunfire.

“I counted eight before I had to take cover, but I’m sure I saw more!”

Melissa swore violently.

Mark privately agreed. These were the opposite of good odds. Beth was stuck on the ship, and it was effectively just the three of them against who knew how many mercenaries as the Phobos had no weapons capabilities.

“We won’t be able to hide here for long,” Mark pointed out, and Melissa nodded as she looked around, clearly already planning something.

“Alex, do you-?”

“Of course,” he replied confidently. Melissa’s grin was feral.

“Create a diversion for us,” and Alex smirked before he reached into one of the many pouches on his belt that Mark had wondered about, and pulled out a –

“What is that?” Mark asked as he eyed the container in Alex’s hand.

“A diversion,” he said simply before he pulled his hand back and flung it over the car.

There were cries of confusion before a loud hissing filled the bay.

“What the-?”

“Shit!”

Alex held up a hand and Melissa waited until Alex nodded before she stood and vaulted over the hood of the car. Alex and Mark followed a moment later, and Mark was surprised to see a small mist covering the center of the bay.

Most of the mercenaries looked confused, like they weren’t sure what they were doing there, but the rest quickly took notice of them. Unfortunately for them, before they could do anything about that Melissa and Mark had shot them, which was enough to knock the rest out of their stupor. 

“What is this stuff?” Mark cried as he shot one in the chest and then whirled to punch another in the face.

“A recipe of my own making, good for distractions,” Alex called back as he smoothly broke one guy’s neck, then used their body as a shield when someone else shot at him.

“Nice,” Mark commented as he flipped someone onto their back and bashed their head into the ground twice.

“Thank you,” Alex grinned.

Mark stood and glanced around at the bodies that littered the floor. There were at least twelve, and Mark was grudgingly impressed.

“How’d they even find out about the shipment?” he wondered.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Melissa promised, a dark look on her face. Mark shivered and was silently glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of her ire.

Mark looked at the bodies one more time, something nagging at him, before he realized that someone was missing.

Mr. Choffard.

“Shit!” he swore before he ran for the shuttle.

“Mark?” Alex called after him as he shared a confused look with Melissa. Then Melissa glanced around and noticed what Mark had. She swore colorfully as she tore after Mark. Alex followed, confused, but knowing that Melissa wouldn’t be worried for nothing.

Mark rounded the shuttle and saw the doors were open, which made him swear once more. He raced into the shuttle to see Mr. Choffard standing over Beth, a gun pointed at her head. Her own guns were discarded next to a small pile of blades behind the pilot’s seat.

“Oh fuck no,” Mark narrowed his eyes.

Mr. Choffard looked up and spotted him immediately. He scowled and shot in Mark’s direction, but Mark buried two blades in him as he got the shots out – one in his throat and the other in his eye.

Mr. Choffard dropped with a gasp and Mark raced over to Beth who held her arm with a grimace. “He got the drop on me,” she explained as Mark slowly pulled her hand away – a graze, nothing more.

“I managed to get a hit or two in, but it was too awkward in the shuttle, he had the upper hand,” she frowned, clearly displeased about that.

“You’ll get him next time,” Mark grinned, confident, and Beth beamed back at him before she look at him more closely and her eyes widened.

“Mark, you’re shot!” she cried just as Melissa and Alex ran up to them.

“What? Caldwell, you got shot?” Melissa demanded.

“How bad is it?” Chris demanded over the comms.

“I’m fine,” Mark protested as Alex tugged him up and moved him to inspect the blossoming red patch on his shirt. “Beth was shot too!” he argued.

“I was grazed, and the bleeding has already stopped,” Beth corrected. “ _That_ is not a graze,” she pointed out.

Mark finally glanced down at his side, still not feeling what Beth had freaked out about. “Huh,” he muttered, surprised, right before the pain hit.

“Oh shit,” he hissed as his muscles tensed automatically.

“Put pressure on the wound, I’ll get my lab ready,” Chris demanded.

“Beth, get us out of here,” Melissa commanded.

“But the shipment!” Mark protested.

“You’re more important right now. We’ll come back for it after we radio N.A.S.A and let them know what’s happening,” Melissa frowned in his direction as Alex guided him to a seat and pressed a clean down from the shuttle’s small bathroom to his side.

“Keep pressure on the wound,” he reminded Mark.

Mark grumbled but pressed down on the towel obligingly. He winced as the pain blossomed brighter but pushed it aside.

“Mark, you good? Talk to me,” Chris prompted as Beth got them back into the air and headed back to the ARES 3 at a frankly alarming speed.

“Like I said, I’m fine, it’s not as bad as it looks,” Mark muttered.

“Let me be the judge of that, okay?” Chris asked. “And keep pressure on the wound!” he reminded.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it, pressure, wound, stop death by painful exsanguination,” Mark muttered and closed his eyes as he tried to relax against the pain.

“Alex?” Chris prompted.

“I will watch him Doctor Beck,” Alex promised.

“I don’t need a babysitter!” Mark scoffed.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” Chris muttered.

“Traitor,” Mark shot at Alex, who just smiled at him, unrepentant.

Mark stopped talking after that and tried to focus more on keeping pressure on the wound. He must have drifted off though, as what seemed like a moment later (but was clearly longer), he was woken up by a hard slap to the face.

“Wake up!” someone shouted, voice worried.

“‘m up, geeze, can’ a guy c’ose h’eyes f’ a min’the?” Mark slurred as he blinked his eyes open.

Beth and Alex stood over him, eyes wide with worry, and behind them he could see the cargo bay of the ARES 3.

“We’re back?” he asked, more coherent, and realized he’d missed at least a few minute of the flight.

No wonder they looked so worried.

“Yes, you scared us,” Alex replied.

“Did I say that out loud?” well that wasn’t good, usually he had more control over his brain-to-mouth filter.

“Yes,” Beth said shortly before Chris burst onto the shuttle with a hover stretcher next to him.

“Get him onto this,” he demanded, and then Mark was being manhandled onto the stretched and Chris rushed from the shuttle to the lift.

“Hey handsome,” Mark grinned weakly up at Chris.

Chris shot him a look and shook his head. “You’re relentless, you know?”

“Only for you,” Mark winked before they were on the lift. Mark could see the crew crowding around the lift entrance, but they didn’t try to get on with them.

“I can’t believe you got shot,” Chris muttered as the lift deposited them on the main level.

“Well I couldn’t let him shoot Beth,” Mark replied weakly.

Chris shot him a fond, if exasperated, look. “No, I don’t imagine you could,” he muttered before he stepped into his lab with Mark.

He pressed a button next to the door and Mark heard the door hiss before Chris moved him over to the examination table, which had been laid flat.

“Can you move at all?” Chris asked, and Mark answered by hauling himself off the stretcher with a grunt and rolling onto the examination table.

Chris grinned and moved over to a sink to scrub and sanitize his hands and arms before he put on some gloves and moved back to Mark. He pulled back the damp towel from Mark’s torso and examined the wound. It was bleeding sluggishly, the edges torn and bright pink.

Chris hummed and rolled Mark a bit to check his back.

“No exit wound, means the bullet is still in you,” he muttered.

“You gonna dig it out?” Mark asked, wary.

“Depends on where it’s lodged and what kind of bullet it is,” Chris answered before he grabbed a hand held x-ray device to help him answer just that question.

The next few minutes passed in silence as Chris moved around him silently.

“I’m gonna have to remove it,” Chris determined a moment later, and Mark sighed but nodded. The next twenty minutes were tense and full of colorful expletives. Mark had refused to be put under for Chris to remove the bullet, citing that he’d had this done before in the field without that luxury there and he didn’t feel comfortable being unconscious for it this time. Chris had argued with him, but Mark hadn’t budged, so Chris had proceeded, but not without doping Mark up as much as he could without killing the man, though it still didn’t stop Mark from feeling Chris digging around in his insides.

It wasn’t until Chris had finally removed the bullet that Mark spoke up properly.

“So doc, tell it to me straight, am I gonna live?” Mark laughed with a slightly dopey grin.

Chris shot him an unamused look before he cracked a grin. “You’ll live, unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about that thing you call a face.”

“You love my face,” Mark sniffed.

“It’s okay,” Chris laughed as he started the process of closing Mark up. Mark watched in fascination as his skin started to knit together, prompted by Chris’s magic fingers and tools. When Chris was done there was new, shiny skin knitting the wound closed.

“That will never cease to amaze me,” Mark breathed.

“Just how many times have you been shot before?” Chris wondered.

Mark shot him a look at what he considered to be a stupid question, which, given when they supposedly knew it Mark’s past – it was. “I was in The Congregate, remember? I’ve been shot multiple times before, and a few of them even hit what they were aiming for,” he reminded.

Chris scanned his torso worriedly after that, a small frown on his face as he tried to find the scars. Mark knew he wouldn’t find them though. Any injury he had was stitched up by the same method Chris had just used, and it didn’t leave scars.

“Well, try to avoid being shot from now on, okay? It’s not something we encourage on this ship,” Chris pressed a hand to his chest and left it there a beat too long to be simply friendly. Mark reached up to grasp it with his own and smiled at him.

“I promise doc,” he whispered.

“Good,” Chris breathed.

They stared at each other before a banging on the door interrupted them.

“Are you done in there yet? Other people want to yell at him too you know!” Rick cried from the other side.

Chris and Mark grinned at each other as Chris slowly pulled his hand back. Mark missed the small warmth but he pasted a grin on his face as Chris pressed that button again and the door hissed once more and then swished open to allow the crew to barge in.

“Mark! You’re not dying, how tragic!” Rick cried with a wide grin on his face.

“Oh stop it!” Beth smacked Rick in the arm before she shot Mark a reassuring grin. “I’m glad you’re alright. Thank you Mark,” she walked over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Well, I couldn’t let my favorite super nerd get shot, now could I?” Mark beamed at her and then winced as Beth smacked him in the shoulder this time with a laugh.

“I am glad to see you well,” Alex greeted, and Mark nodded back.

“Trust me, I’m glad to see me well too.”

Melissa was silent, but Mark could see her watching them all closely.

The crew continued to talk to him but Mark kept his attention on the captain who was focused on him now.

“So captain,” he started, and the crew silenced immediately, “did I make the cut?”

The crew looked between the two of them, clearly holding their breath for Melissa’s decision.

Melissa stared for a beat longer before she slowly grinned, and the rest of the crew started to cheer.

“Welcome to the ARES 3 crew Mr. Caldwell. Officially,” she added.

“Glad to be here,” Mark replied as Beth and Rick both hugged him, crushing him between them.

Mark was surprised at just how much he meant that too.

Things had just gotten that much more complicated.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr [x](http://rinnielove.tumblr.com/)
> 
> ♥


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